In his first year as head coach at BYU, Lee Cummard has led the women’s basketball team to a higher state of excellence and accomplishment.
This year, he has accomplished what no other women's basketball coach in program history has. He set a new record for most wins as a first year head coach (26), surpassing his mentor, Jeff Judkins.
With 26 wins, the Cougars had 15 total home wins and an 11-1 non-conference record.
In addition to that, he led the team to their first post-season appearance since the 2024 season. Not only did the Cougars make an appearance in the post season, but they dominated.
In the WBIT, they won four of their games to advance onto the championship game against Columbia. This was the first time BYU had won four postseason games in the same season. With these four wins, it was able to make it to its first postseason tournament championship in program history.
Cummard is known for his devotion and loyalty to BYU and the legacy he has created, not just as a coach but also as a player.
“I love BYU. That’s something I haven't been quiet about," said Cummard.
Cummard played on the BYU men’s team from 2005-2009. In those years, he led the team to three consecutive Mountain West Conference titles. He was also named MWC Player of Year in 2008, two-time All-MWC First Team in 2008 and 2009, and an AP All-American Honorable Mention in 2008.
Former BYU men's coach Dave Rose reflected on a special moment when he knew Lee Cummard was a great player, but he also could be an amazing coach. In his junior year game against Lamar, Cummard dropped 27 points to push BYU to a win.
“He gets in the locker room and he starts telling the guys ‘If you think that we are gonna be any good with me scoring 27 points a game you’re crazy. We have to figure out how we are going to play together as a group and win together.’ He was a special dude way before his time,” Rose said.
Rose admitted that it’s his competitive nature and commitment to winning that makes him such a standout coach in his first year.
”His ability as a competitor is second to none. I coached some really competitive guys over the years and none of them were more competitive than Lee,” said Rose.
After his career at BYU, Cummard played professionally overseas for seven years. He played in France, Japan and Belgium but eventually found his way back to Provo.
He joined his former coach on his staff as a graduate assistant from 2016-2018.
”I was really excited to put him on as a graduate assistant and he proved himself being an all-in guy where he approached the game as a coach just as he did as a player,” said Rose.
Cummard then became an official part of the men’s coaching staff, being assistant coach for a year in 2018. After his year as an assistant coach on the men’s team, he made the switch onto Jeff Judkins' staff as an assistant coach of the women’s team.
“I had conversations with Jeff Judkins about the opportunity that he had and with those things I was talking about it just kind of made sense,” said Cummard.
In his years as assistant coach for the women’s team, he was able to learn from one of the greatest BYU women’s basketball coaches in program history and gain meaningful experience to help shape his readiness in becoming head coach.
He was able to be present for the two NCAA tournament runs that the Cougars took in 2021 and 2022. He also worked as acting head coach and went 3-0, with two of those wins over AP top-25 ranked teams.
Cummard was named associate head coach from 2022-2025, working with previous head coach, Amber Whiting. Whiting decided to step down as head coach in March of 2025, and there stood some uncertainty where the program would go from there.
Many players stood in a tough position, including sophomore Brinley Cannon, who finished up her freshman season when the coaching shift was announced.
“When it was in the air or times of doubt, I could feel the vibe that Lee was going to be the head coach,” said Cannon. “I knew that if he was the head coach then I for sure wanted to be here.”
His connection with his athletes goes way beyond the surface level, he doesn’t just connect with them as players but also as people and women.
“He’s connected. He has great connection with these student-athletes. Those student-athletes believe in him as their coach and their leader; that he can help them reach their dreams in the game of basketball. That’s the key," said BYU athletic director Brian Santiago.
As he has been in the head coaching position, one statistic has stood out, his ability to recruit. In his first season he was able to land 59th ranked freshman, Olivia Hamlin.
Previously committed to Nebraska, Hamlin visited with Cummard after her decommitment and decided BYU was the right place for her.
“For the recruitment process, he would always be the one calling me and I knew that he was such a good coach because he’s experienced it [the game of basketball] from one of the best levels,” said Hamlin. “I just knew he was building something great here and I’m really thankful to be a part of it.”
Although his first year was great, it did come with some adversity. One of their turning points as a team was their loss against Cincinnati at home. It followed a 30-point loss on the road against Colorado and a road swing in Kansas where they lost both games.
“He gave us a couple speeches like, ‘This isn’t time to pout or think woe is me! This is about approaching everyday with the same competitiveness and striving for excellence everyday,’” said Cannon.
That attitude rubbed off on the team. The Cougars won nine of their last 11 games to push them into two wins in the Big 12 tournament and four wins in the WBIT.
The season was historic for the Cougars, but the record-breaking statistics aren’t what Cummard is most ecstatic about.
“In today’s landscape, the thing I’m really proud of is that most of our group wants to continue to do this together. I think that speaks to our players first and who they are as people and then our staff,” Cummard said.
In Cummard's first year as head coach, only two players have stepped into the transfer portal, which is unusual in these times with NIL. This speaks to the culture that Cummard is building at BYU; people want to be a part of BYU women’s basketball.